YOUNG people have been exploring their artistic talents after being commissioned to produce a graffiti mural at their youth club.

Ten members of the Herrington Burn YMCA youth club, near Shiney Row, were asked what they would like to see on the wall of the centre.

The youngsters said they would like to put together a mural which represented their own vision of what the YMCA should stand for. Graffiti-style art was selected, as the young people felt that it suited the statement.

The youth work team at the YMCA applied for a £300 grant from the Sunderland Youth Development Group, which was then used to engage the services of professional graffiti artist, Paul Richardson.

He helped the young people to realise their vision with the 10ft by 6ft mural, which has now been given pride of place in the centre's youth room.

Youth worker Melanie Pounder said: "In order to engage young people in the Coalfields area, we must give them a chance to express themselves responsibly in a way they feel comfortable with, which is exactly what the mural is all about. We also wanted to show that graffiti is a valid art form, which can be highly positive."

The youth club members chose drugs, racism and bullying as the focus of their mural.

Mr Richardson of Houghton-le-Spring, said: "Simply scribbling your name on a wall is vandalism, not graffiti, and by channelling the kids' creativity in this way, we can also challenge the stigma attached to this method of artwork."